AFE gear up pilots for flight, fight, survival

Pilots assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing step to their aircraft with more than 40 pounds of gear, some of it vital for flying, others are used only during emergencies scenarios.

Managing and maintaining this equipment is a small team of Airmen from the 332nd Expeditionary Operation Support Squadron.

“As aircrew flight equipment technicians we’re not only responsible for what the pilots need while they’re flying, we’re also responsible for what they need if they’re in a survival, evasion situation after an ejection,” said Staff Sgt. Madeline Davis, 332nd AFE technician. “In addition to the helmets and G-suits, we also work on their survival kits and parachutes.”

With missions going out anytime, day or night, the AFE Airmen understand the importance of their job and take pride in what they do.

“It’s rewarding knowing these aircrew members rely on me to do my job correctly to survive in the jet on a daily bases,” said Senior Airman Aaron Jacobs, 332nd AFE technician. “I know that at the end of the day, if the gear is right they’re going to come home and they’re going to be safe.”

From head to toe, every piece of equipment a pilot carries helps them accomplish their mission. Missing the smallest detail can be the difference between success and failure or life and death.

“In the event we have to eject, we’re relying on those guys to do their job 100 percent correctly,” said Capt. Nathan, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing pilot. “If a radio isn’t keyed correctly, and we’re on our way down in a parachute, we can’t communicate with our wingman to let them know we’re alive and give them our coordinates.”

“What they do is important for us because you’re talking about a one in a million event, but once that happens, we need everything they give us to come out of that situation alive,” he added.